1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for controlling a local printer connected to a PC (Personal Computer) using a portable terminal for mobile communication in a home network system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Home networks are part of next generation Information Technology (IT) being greatly noticeable and comprised of an aggregate of technologies for maximizing the convenience of living by being coupled to the Internet in order to control, manage, integrate and interwork information home appliances in the home. Home network technology is divided into lower network technology for physical data transmission, middleware technology for interworking with a higher application, and information home appliance technology applied to each home appliance according to a technical layer. Currently, home networks are combined with broadband communication, wireless Internet, sensor technologies, etc. and hence are being extended to a ubiquitous computing network.
Research is currently under way into home network middleware serving as an interface between a lower network layer and an application layer for controlling and managing the information home appliances. Various types of home network middleware such as UPnP (Universal Plug and Play), Jini, OSGi (Open Service Gateway Initiative) and HAVi (Home Audio/Video Interoperability) have been developed. However, none of the home network middleware described above has gained technological predominance, such that various forms of home network middleware co-exist.
Here, a home network system is defined as a home network system using UPnP middleware. However, the present invention may be applied to the home network system using various types of home network middleware such as Jini, OSGi, and HAVi.
The home network system establishes an organic connection through networking between the devices in the home, such that the home network system can provide various services to the user.
A potable terminal for mobile communication is used as a control tool in the home network system. In modern society, portable terminals for mobile communication are necessities of life that the user carries at all times irrespective of places such as offices, homes, etc., and is becoming an important device in various networking fields because it performs various functions such as an Internet access function and an electronic payment function.
Recently, when the portable terminal for mobile communication is connected to AV (Audio/Video) equipment such as a TV (Television) set or audio equipment, it serves as the existing remote controller for controlling channel selection, recording and playback functions. Thus, portable terminals for mobile communication are developing into devices of an extended concept beyond simple mobile communication.
A control function of the portable terminal for mobile communication serving as the controller is currently limited to the AV equipment. When connected to an information device, for example, a PC (Personal Computer) or laptop computer, the portable terminal for mobile communication is used only for uploading or downloading content such as music or photos. A printer serves as a peripheral operating in a state in which it connects to the PC via a local network, but is not recognized as one of the devices configuring a home or office network system. For this reason, the portable terminal for mobile communication cannot currently control the printer.
When enabling a print job, the user is inconvenienced in that he or she must directly go to the location of the printer to determine whether or not the print job is finished, after sending a data output command to the printer. In particular, when a network state is bad or an amount of output is large, the user must directly go to the location of the printer and confirm completion of the print job. When printer output is stopped due to a jam error, the user must directly go to the location of the printer or make confirmation using the PC. These may serve as the limitations of convenience when the printer is used by means of the portable terminal for mobile communication that performs a control operation irrespective of a place.